Putin Agrees to Halt Strikes on Ukraine Energy Sites

The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin agreed to immediately halt strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure after speaking to President Trump on Tuesday. After Trump presented a proposal for Russia and Ukraine to pause the strikes for 30 days as part of a partial ceasefire deal, Putin "responded positively to this initiative and immediately gave the Russian military the corresponding command," the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin did not, however, agree to the more comprehensive ceasefire deal that US and Ukrainian negotiators proposed after talks last week, that the Wall Street Journal reports.

• White House statement. "The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace," the White House said in a statement. "These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East." It's not clear whether Ukraine has agreed to the phased ceasefire proposal, the AP reports.

• Putin's demands. The Kremlin said Putin told Trump that a "key condition" to end the conflict was a "complete cessation" of foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, the New York Times reports. The Kremlin said Russia will require "effective control" of any ceasefire along the line of conflict. Russia is also demanding a halt to the rearming of the Ukrainian military and forced mobilization, the Journal reports.
• Prisoner exchange. The Kremlin said Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 prisoners of war on each side Wednesday, with another 23 "seriously wounded" Ukrainian servicemen to be released as a "gesture of goodwill."
• Hockey. The Guardian reports that the Russian readout of the call, but not the American one, states that the leaders discussed Putin's proposal to "organize hockey matches in the United States and Russia" between players from the NHL and Russia's KHL.

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)